Reducing valve mechanism



Patented Sept. 5, 1950 REDUCING VALVE MECHANISM Sydney Walter Lack,Waverley, near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Application March 9,1949, Serial No. 80,496 In Australia March 17, 1948 1 Claim. 1

This invention has been devised to'provide a reducing valve mechanismwherein a valve controlling delivery from a high pressure line to a lowpressure line is actuated by a spring conjointly with the pressuremedium in the low pressure line acting on a diaphragm connected to thevalve stem. Difference in pressure between the high pressure line andthe low pressure line is regulated by spring adjustment and the valve isthen actuated to maintain a desired pressure in the low pressure linewhen the low pressure acting on the diaphragm falls below a determinedpressure.

A feature of the invention is the provision of flexible sealing meansfor the openings through which the valve stem moves in place of glandsand stuffing boxes, said flexible sealing means permitting a freermovement of the valve than would be the case where glands and stuflingboxes are employed.

The reducing valve mechanism of this invention consists of a valve chestwith a valve seat therein. There is a high pressure inlet on one side ofthe valve seat and a low pressure outlet on the other side of the valveseat. A valve in register with the valve seat has its stem projectingthrough a diaphragm chamber mounted on the valve chest.- A diaphragm insaid chamber is affixed to the valve stem. There is a port communicatingbetween the low pressure part of the valve chest and that part of thediaphragm chamber where the low pressure medium will exert pressure onthe diaphragm in a valve closing direction. A valve opening spring ismounted on the valve stem outside the diaphragm chamher and means areprovided to regulate the spring loading. The openings in the valve chestand in the diaphragm chamber through which the valve stem passes aresealed by two flanged sleeve members of flexible material which areaffixed to the valve stem and to the respective parts of the valve chestand the diaphragm chamber in such manner as will permit substantiallyfree movement of the valve.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the annexed drawingswherein Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the reducing valve mechanism;Fig. 2 is a sectional plan on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The valve chest has a high pressure inlet 3 at one end and a lowpressure outlet 4 at the other end. The inlet and the outlet each havemeans for connecting pipes thereto. There is a valve seat 5 in the valvechest arranged to separate the inlet and outlet. Below the valve seat,that is on the high pressure side, there is a lug 6 which is drilled toconstitute a guide for a valve stem. Above the valve seat, that is onthe low pressure side, the valve chest has an open cylindrical body 1with an internal shoulder 8 formed thereon and above the shoulder 8 thecylindrical body is threaded as indicated at 9. Above the cylindricalbody 1 the bottom part ID of a diaphragm chamber is formed as anintegral part of the valve chest. This part In is flanged as indicatedat H to provide a seating for a diaphragm l2 and the top part l3 of thediaphragm chamber which has a corresponding flange l4 and is, with thediaphragm l2, fixed to the flange H by studs l5. There is a port l6leading from the low pressure side of the valve chest to the top part ofthe diaphragm chamber and there is a vent H in the bottom part of thediaphragm chamber. The top part I3 of the diaphragm chamber has anopening therein in alignment with the cylindrical body 1. It issurrounded by a threaded boss [8 and at the bottom of the boss there isan inwardly projecting shoulder l 9.

A valve 20 to register with the valve seat 5 has a bottom stem 2|projecting into the guide lug 6; it also has a top stem 22 whichprojects through the cylindrical body 1 and through the diaphragmchamber. The top stem 22 has a groove 23 formed therein at a positionbelow the shoulder 8 in the cylindrical body I. A flexible sealingmember made as a sleeve 24 with a flange 25 at the top is mounted on thetop stem 22 by a clamp ring 26 pressing the sleeve into the groove 23.The flange 25 is secured on the shoulder 8 of the cylindrical body I byring nut 21. In the diaphragm chamber the top stem 22 is secured to thediaphragm I2 by top and bottom plates 28 and supporting collar 29. Theseplates '28 prevent the formation of a belly in the diaphragm. The topstem 22 has a second groove 30 formed therein at a position above theshoulder I9 on the top part I3 of the diaphragm chamber. A flexiblesealing member made as that described above has its sleeve 3| mounted onthe top stem '22 by a clamp ring 32 pressing the sleeve into the groove30. The flange 33 of this flexible sealing member is at the bottom andit is secured on the shoulder I9 on the top part l3 of the diaphragmchamber by ring nut 34. It will be seen that the construction of theflexible sealing members and associated parts is such that the flexiblesealing members will not distort under normal conditions of use.

The top stem 22 passes through the ring nut 34 and the end is screwed totake a nut 35. This nut compresses a helical spring 36 between a springkeep 31 and the ring nut 34. A hood may be provided to cover the springassembly.

I claim:

A reducing valve mechanism consisting of a valve chest with a valve seattherein and with a high pressure inlet on one side of the valve seat anda low pressure outlet on the other side of the valve seat, a valve stemguide below the valve seat, an open top cylindrical body on the lowpressure side of the valve chest with an internal shoulder therein and aring nut screwedvinto said cylindrical body, onto said internalshoulder; means defining a diaphragm chamber above said body havingupper and lower parts each-provided with a flange in confrontingrelation to each other, a diaphragm secured in said chamber -by saidflanges, said upper part of the diaphragm the diaphragm chamber; a valvein register with the valve seat having top and bottom stems, said topstem projecting through said cylindrical body and through said diaphragmchamber and being affixed to said diaphragm; flexible sealing means eachconstructed as a sleeve to fit on said top valve stem and having aflange whereby they are secured against said internal shoulder and saidboss flange by the said ring nuts; and a valve opening spring mounted onsaid top valve stem with means to regulate the spring loading.

chamber having an opening therein in alignment with said body andsurrounded by a threaded boss with an inwardly projecting flange at theof the valve chest to the top part of the'diaphragm chamber, a vent inthe bottom part of SYDNEY WALTER LACK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,800,995 Gaunt Apr. 14, 19311,950,121 McKee 'Mar."6, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date539,744 Germany of 1930

